Orlando Pirates legend and former captain Benson Mhlongo has responded to the club's chairman, Dr. Irvin Khoza, regarding the appointment of Abdeslam Ouaddou as the new head coach.
The appointment of the relatively unknown Moroccan coach has elicited mixed reactions from Pirates fans, as it came as a surprise.
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Ouaddou is not unfamiliar with the Betway Premiership; last season, he performed reasonably well during his brief time with Marumo Gallants FC, helping the team avoid relegation in their first season after buying the Moroka Swallows status.
"Dr. Irvin Khoza has always managed to come up with surprises over the years. I trust his judgement; they've been in this game for a long time," Mhlongo tells KickOff.
"It's not for us to speculate. When they brought Jose Riveiro here, nobody knew about him, and look how well he did.
"Dr. Khoza has vast experience in bringing coaches here, so perhaps there’s something the chairman saw in the new coach.
"It was relatively easy for the chairman to make a decision on the new coach since he was already in the country. Maybe they appreciated what he did for Marumo Gallants last season.
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"The new coach doesn't need to change anything; he should simply continue from where Jose Riveiro left off. I don't foresee much of a challenge.
"My hope is for the new coach not to disrupt the team. He must stick with the same players he has."
